Kelsey Bumgarner, Whitworth Sports Information Intern

Complete box score and play by play

Holly Tomlin had a career-high 18 kills

SPOKANE, Wash. -- In an exciting season closer, Whitworth University defeated Linfield College 3-2 (25-17, 25-13, 22-25, 22-25, 15-9) in a Northwest Conference volleyball match, getting great contributions from the outgoing seniors.

Holly Tomlin (Sr., MB, Kirkland, Wash.) set a career high with 18 kills and had 4 blocks for the Bucs. Nikki Bardwell (Sr., OH, Colville, Wash.) had a double-double with 10 kills and 24 digs, as did Kaimi Rocha (Fr., OH, Pukalani, Hawaii) with 10 kills and 23 digs. Ka’ipo Rocha (Fr., MB, Pukalani, Hawaii) contributed 13 kills and 4 blocks, and Bethany Castilleja (Sr., Lib, Kennewick, Wash.) dug a match-high 25 balls. Bree Riddle (Fr., S, Spokane, Wash.) had 31 assists and Jordan Hoffnagle (Fr., S, Spokane, Wash.) 23. Whitworth hit .250 in the match.

The Wildcats were led by Emily Vuylsteke with 19 kills, Rosa Gimson had 12 kills, and Kelsey Habura added nine. Tara Hill led with 15 digs, and Samantha Lau had 3 aces. Stephanie Purser set 39 assists. Linfield hit .100 in the night.

The first set opened 8-8 before Whitworth rallied to the lead. Tomlin led an attack with 2 kills to gain a two point lead before the Bucs went up 17-11 on a kill by Hoffnagle. Ka’ipo Rocha slammed 2 more kills for the Bucs to help gain a 20-13 lead, and Whitworth continued to dominate until two more Tomlin kills ended the set at 25-17.

The second set proved to be an easy one for the Pirates as well. Tomlin’s two early kills and strong serving by Hoffnagle and Kaimi Rocha helped the Bucs jump to a 13-5 lead. Habura’s kill helped gain a couple points for the Wildcats, but Whitworth continued to surge to a 20-10 lead. Tomlin and Ka’ipo Rocha had 5 and 4 kills respectively to help dictate the momentum, and a Tomlin kill ended the set 25-13.

Linfield came back to challenge Whitworth in the third set, and it was a back and forth battle. The teams were tied 12 different times before Linfield won 25-22. Wildcat players took charge at the net: Gimson had 5 kills, Vuylsteke 4, and Hill 3. The Bucs battled back behind Bardwell’s 5 kills and Tomlin’s 4, but Linfield proved to be too much and the set ended on a Gimson kill.

The fourth set was an exchange of runs. Linfield led 11-6 before a Bardwell kill and excellent serving led Whitworth on a 10-0 run to a 16-11 lead. It was then the Wildcats’ turn, and Vuylsteke had 2 kills to help tie the score at 18-18. Kabura and Hill each had one more kill to aid Linfield in edging out the Pirates 25-22.

The final set began with two kills by Vuylsteke and a service ace by Kelsey French for a Linfield lead early, but Bardwell turned the tables with two straight kills to even it up at 4-4. The Bucs continued to rally and used a 7-2 run, led by Riddle’s and Bardwell’s serving. The Rocha sisters added in 2 kills each, and the Bucs won the match 15-9 on a Wildcat error.

Whitworth ended the season with a 14-14 overall, 7-9 NWC record. Linfield finished 13-7, 9-7.

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